On April 11th 2014 the panel discussion on the subject of „How can the green economy become a driver for start-ups?”, took place within the framework of the Hannover Messe. Thomas Landgraf, one of the founders of enercast, represented the recently set-up energy section, within the Federal Association of German Start-ups (BVDS), on stage. Given the topicality of the energy transition, the discussion focused on the following topics: „Why are there so few start-ups in the energy sector?“ and „What can be done to incentivize start-ups in this sector?”.

Annually, about 350.000 start-ups are recorded in Germany. Few of those can be allocated to the high-tech sector and very few to the energy industry. At this point it is inevitable to pose the question: „Why are there so few start-ups in the energy sector?“. Wouldn’t it be particularly important to introduce innovations, given that we are in transition, away from centralized distribution structures, with few, large players, towards a decentralized, renewable energy landscape?

It is indisputable, that the importance of start-ups in Germany is increasing. They don’t only drive the growth of the own company, and of the economy as a whole, but they also contribute substantially by driving the energy transition.

Aside from an innovative idea, a successful start-up also requires capital investments. Here, Thomas Landgraf points out sector-specific problems: „The entire funding community is influenced by information- and communication technology, where innovation proceeds a lot more dynamically than in the traditional energy sector. In addition, the energy market is strictly regulated, by laws such as the renewable energy act or the law on the energy industry.“

Landgraf has long been involved in the entrepreneur’s council at the University of Kassel. He considers his current involvement with the Deutsche Startups e.V. (association for start-ups in Germany) as a „consistent continuation of his work “.